Pandora's Mistake (Fate of Eros #0) (The Fate of Eros Series)

by Black, E. B.

  PANDORA'S MISTAKE

  Copyright © 2013 by E.B. Black

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  PANDORA'S MISTAKE

  By E.B. Black

  Chapter 1

  Pandora shivered as Epimetheus placed an uncooked pork chop on a plate in front of her. "Eat."

  Pandora stared at the plate, wrinkling her nose as she poked the slimy meat. Blood oozed from it.

  She shouldn't have been surprised. Pandora was afforded zero luxuries in this cave. The rocks poked into her back at night, even when she lay on a pile of furs. Of course the food wouldn't be cooked.

  Epimetheus didn't hesitate to bite into his pork chop and force it down, followed by a large gulp of wine.

  "I can't," she said. "Maybe if you'd let me light a fire-"

  "No." His eyes grew hard.

  "I'm your wife, but I'm still a human. I can't eat raw meat like a Titan."

  "You talk too much. Eat."

  She didn't breathe to avoid the smell as she raised the pork chop shakily to her mouth and chewed the raw flesh. A good woman obeyed her husband, or so Zeus had told her on Mount Olympus after they created her from clay.

  He hadn't mentioned it in front of Hera. Hera had informed her that it was her job to use her curves to manipulate her husband. But Zeus' advice had been more practical. He said that men were more easily manipulated by a gentle woman than an aggressive one. So far, Epimetheus had been more willing to listen to her when she obeyed. And she didn't like it when he stared at her body.

  The raw flesh didn't taste as bad as she thought it would. Her stomach growled for the rest after she swallowed. She gobbled it down.

  Epimetheus poured her a flask of wine. "This will keep you warm and drown out the taste." He handed it to her.

  She sniffed it and let the smell of grapes calm her. Each swallow spread warmth through her body. She poured herself another cup as she grew lightheaded and happy.

  "You're drinking it too fast," Epimetheus said.

  She didn't care. It reminded her of sipping ambrosia with the gods and the high it gave her.

  Before long, though, her stomach turned. She barely managed to make it out of the cave before she vomited. Epimetheus rolled his eyes.

  She washed her mouth in the bucket of water they had sitting in the corner. "I need to cook the meat or this will happen every time we eat." She tried to keep the anger out of her voice, but failed.

  He grabbed her by the hair and she shrieked. She gripped his hand, wanting to pry off the pressure his tight fingers were leaving on her scalp.

  "It's your fault for drinking too much." He yanked so hard that she landed on her butt. Pain radiated through her hips. "You're spoiled and refuse to enjoy what I provide! I hunt, while you sit around this cave doing nothing!"

  She burst into tears. "I can't change the way my body behaves, even if it displeases you."

  Why was he angry? She didn't complain about having to sleep in the cold every night. The furs he provided weren't enough to keep her warm without a fire, but she closed her eyes wordlessly.

  Epimetheus frowned. "Your stomach will learn to tolerate it."

  "Why put us both through this? Why can't we eat the normal way?"

  Pandora was beginning to understand why the Titans had lost the war. Such barbaric men had no chance of prevailing against warriors as intelligent and sophisticated as the Olympians. Epimetheus' shaggy beard and thick chest hair made her think of a werewolf. The wild look in his eye and the clench of his muscles hinted at a lust for violence. Titans were the gods of the golden age, but the myths must have exaggerated their greatness.

  On Mount Olympus, she'd slept on a bed with sheets as fluffy as clouds. A fireplace in her room kept her warm and cooked pastries filled her stomach. Zeus' face was handsome and his robes embroidered with clouds and lightning bolts. He crackled with controlled energy. He calculated his violent acts before performing them.

  It was why Zeus had been able to ascend to the clouds and throw the Titans down to Hades. You can't win a war by killing gods, but you can win it by imprisoning them with trickery in Tartarus.

  The few who had cooperated, like Epimetheus and his brother, were allowed to roam freely.

  She wanted to go back and be Zeus' wife instead, but he was already married and Pandora wasn't a goddess. She had only been on Mount Olympus long enough for her to be taught the basics of what it meant to be human and for them to put the finishing touches on their creation. Besides, he'd told her he needed her for a sacred task on Earth.

  She looked towards the spot where she'd hidden the jar she had been ordered to protect by Zeus. She was never to open it under any circumstances. She chewed her lower lip. Keeping secrets was difficult, but having a piece of Mount Olympus still with her was comforting.

  Epimetheus' shoulders relaxed and he sighed. "I need to show you something. You'll never understand until you know the truth."

  He wasn't much of a talker, so Pandora was relieved to have him explain something for once. They left the cave, which was something Epimetheus rarely did after dark.

  Pandora wished they could bring a torch, but Epimetheus hated fire too much to allow it. Maybe he was afraid of it. The thought of a big, scary Titan cowering in terror from a tiny flame made her giggle under her breath. She coughed to cover it up.

  Her eyes widened as she stared at the spooky forest they walked next to. She had seen the dark pelts of wolves and wild cats that Epimetheus brought home. Those creatures blended into the night. Their thick claws could rip her face open. They might be stalking her movements at that very moment.

  Is this why Epimetheus told her it was too dangerous for her to leave the cave alone?

  "Where are we going?" Pandora asked, tired of listening to their heavy breathing. They had passed many tents scattered along the way. Men, either eating dinner or snoring, laid around the campfires. Most of them stared at her and licked their lips when she passed.

  Epimetheus didn't answer. This was typical. She might as well not exist.

  She glared at a campfire nearby that Epimetheus would never allow her to warm herself beside.

  "You could have warned me to bring some fur to keep me warm on the journey." Her voice dripped with acid.

  "I can make you hot." A man's voice greeted her from next to the fire. He stood.

  She turned as he approached and she froze in place. She had never talked to another human being before and found herself shaking.

  His breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were narrow and predatory. Instantly, she knew this was the real reason Epimetheus ordered her never to leave the cave. This man looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. His companions were staring at her from behind as if they would devour the leftovers.

  She was the first human woman to ever exist. Aphrodite had warned her that men pounced and pawed at her whenever she showed herself on Earth. She generally had to kill a few to get them to leave her alone, but Pandora didn't have the powers Aphrodite did. She couldn't look at a man and devour his soul with her beauty. Instead, she had to be careful. She couldn't show that she was afraid, even though this man was a head taller than
her.

  The man reached towards her. She flinched as he stroked her hair.

  Epimetheus turned and growled. He grabbed the guy by the shoulder and threw him into a tree standing twenty feet away. He passed out, blood dripping from his cracked skull. The other men surrounding the campfire turned back to their food, pretending they had seen nothing.

  Epimetheus was stronger than he looked. That's because he and the rest of the Titans shrank themselves whenever they were on Earth. They did it to make the humans more comfortable. Epimetheus also said it was because it would be extremely painful for her the day he decided to consummate their marriage if he hadn't. Pandora didn't know what he was talking about, but it sounded violent.

  Sometimes, when they traveled, they would come across Atlas, a Titan who hadn't shrank himself and lived in a garden guarded by a dragon. He was even taller than the Olympians. He was as huge as a mountain, which he needed to be in order to carry the sky on his shoulders to keep it from crashing to Earth. Pandora was glad that Epimetheus didn't speak to her at that height. It was intimidating.

  Atlas was always nice to Pandora, but she didn't trust anyone who could crush her in the palm of their hand-even though he would have to drop the sky to harm her.

  Up ahead, a cliff came into view. It jutted from the earth, pointing proudly towards the sky. Brushing the treetops above, it was an inferno. Fire, the shape of a hurricane, floated in a circle. Hell wasn't located beneath their feet; it dwelled in a hovering mass just below storm clouds. It lit up their surroundings.

  A trail wove around the side of the cliff. They began to march up it. Did this trail lead to that rock ledge hanging below that inferno? She didn't want to go there, but had a feeling that Epimetheus wouldn't allow her to turn back.

  As the fire drew nearer, Pandora heard an animal screaming in the distance. She shivered. It was shrieking as if it were being tortured. Would Epimetheus expose her to the same punishment for disobeying him? Were they lighting living things on fire?

  As they neared the top, a shape came together in front of her. A man laid spread eagle and strapped in chains. His face was pleasing to her eyes, even scrunched up. His beard wasn't scraggly like Epimetheus' was and his muscles contorted with barely restrained power. She imagined what he would have looked like if he wasn't covered in blood. Her stomach somersaulted at the beautiful image.

  Every time he screamed, the fireball above their heads grew for a moment and illuminated his shadow. A giant raven sat upon his chest, pecking away at bare intestines. She had seen birds, but never a black one that was almost as large as she was.

  It glanced over at Pandora. Its unfeeling eyes glowed white as if it had captured a tiny bit of sun inside its pupils. Green liquid leaked out the side of the raven's mouth. It foamed at the mouth like it was rabid. Pandora bit her finger nails.

  A river of blood pooled from Prometheus' stomach where his intestines had been ripped to shreds. The raven bent down to peck more inside his belly. He devoured little bits of pink innards. Prometheus was dying or being eaten alive at least.

  Pandora tugged on Epimetheus' arm. "We should help him."

  Tears formed in Epimetheus' eyes. "I've tried; we can't."

  "Why not? He'll die if we don't do something."

  Pandora could barely breathe. She felt helpless and afraid.

  The man screamed and Epimetheus wrapped his arms around Pandora, pinning her to the ground. Fire exploded around them and Epimetheus' eyes rolled back in pain. The storm of fire above them had gotten so large that a piece of it had escaped and struck Epimetheus' body.

  They both stood when it was over. Blisters covered Epimetheus' back where his clothes had burned away. She touched the damaged skin gently. He roared in response and she jumped back. The skin sewed itself together before her widened eyes.

  She had seen Epimetheus attacked by a bear once. It had entered their cavern in the middle of the night. It had ripped his chest open, but he had regenerated in the same way.

  "His name is Prometheus," Epimetheus said. "He's already died many times. Titans like us regenerate, but that doesn't stop us from feeling pain."

  Their eyes met.

  "Why is this man important to you?" Pandora asked.

  "He's my brother," Epimetheus said. "Zeus chained him here to punish him."

  Pandora crossed her arms. "And you want me to feel sorry for him? He must have done something terrible if Zeus thought he deserved this."

  Epimetheus shook his head. "You have a lot to learn."

  He grabbed her hand and she clutched it tightly. Although Prometheus was restrained, the fire bursting from him was not. Pandora was scared her skin would melt. The crackling of the fire above their heads was deafening and the heat made her eyes feel dry.

  Epimetheus read her mind. "It's not as bad when he's further from death."

  "I thought gods couldn't die," Pandora whispered.

  "We can't. Our souls do not travel to the Underworld like they do with humans. But our bodies can become so damaged that we black out for hours and lose our heartbeats until we are able to regenerate again. It's a type of death, but not a permanent one."

  They were near the edge of the cliff, next to Prometheus. It overlooked the places they had traveled since they left the cave. Bright specks from campfires decorated the path. They glowed against the darkness like grounded stars.

  "Prometheus suffers because of all those people who live down there," Epimetheus said. "The reason they have warmth and food is why he's being tortured, but none of them care anymore."

  Pandora's chest constricted painfully. This couldn't be true. Zeus had been such a kind god, explaining things to her slowly when she didn't understand them. He wasn't capable of this.

  "Some of them cared at first," Epimetheus said. "But when they tried to loosen his bonds, the crow would devour them instead. Unlike Prometheus, they wouldn't be able to rise from the dead the next day. He begged them to stop, insisting that he could handle it, but I don't like the way they flaunt their fires in front of him. They should be ashamed of what they have, rather than callous.

  "Every time someone lights a fire, Prometheus dies a little faster that day. It's why he usually dies at night-people light their campfires and the raven pecks harder. Prometheus gets upset from the pain and those bad feelings make the raven peck harder as well. He dies.

  "If all of the humans were to put out their fires and vow to never use them again, Zeus might let him go, but they won't. Prometheus says it's because they die without fire, but I think it's because they're selfish.

  "This is why, as my wife, you are never to light a fire. Fire is his curse, not our blessing."

  Pandora nodded her head, chewing her lip.

  The raggedy pile of a Titan lying in front of them moaned. He had also shrunk himself. It was strange that he should care about making humans more comfortable when he was being tortured like this.

  He spoke and his voice was hoarse. "Epimetheus, is that you?"

  Prometheus cried out and the fire above their heads grew larger. Epimetheus pushed Pandora close to the ground just in case.

  The fire died down and Epimetheus knelt next to his brother. The bitterness melted from his face and gentleness took its place as if he were gazing at a beloved pet or baby. He stroked Prometheus' cheek and the fireballs burning above them calmed. "Shh! Don't speak! You need to save your strength!"

  "Please don't be angry." Prometheus' eyes glowed with love in the light. "To see humanity, my creation, at peace, makes this suffering worth it. I'm glad Zeus chained me here. It allows me to witness all the good I've done."

  "Don't speak that way," Epimetheus said. "Nothing is worth seeing you like this."

  "Humanity is worth it," Prometheus said. "The way their skin glows in the sun is the envy of the gods. They're beautiful."

  Pandora looked down at her arms; the silver flecks in her skin shone in the firelight. Most of the time they weren't visible, except when the sun was bright or she was near a
campfire. She had heard once that humans had specks of gold in their skin, during a time when they could tell the future and walked among gods. Pandora wished she was from that time, rather than from the age of silver, where the wealth and gifts of Mount Olympus dwelled just beyond her reach. But humans had sunk to a new low ever since Zeus took over, which was why their skin had silver in it now. If only she knew the future, maybe she'd be able to understand her world a little better.

  "Humans give the gods something to live for and take care of," Prometheus continued. "They create and love like we do. They are not evil. It's Zeus that is. Never trust anything Zeus gives you. It will lead to your downfall."

  Pandora's forehead wrinkled in confusion. She had been a gift from Zeus to Epimetheus. Was he insinuating that she was untrustworthy? How dare he! He didn't even know her!

  Prometheus was sweating. His breathing grew heavier and he went into a seizure.

  "It's time! He's dying again," Epimetheus shouted.

  Prometheus passed out and the inferno above their heads swirled like a tornado. Pandora shielded her face as ashes rained on her. She could feel her arm hair singeing.

  "It's getting dangerous-we need to go." Epimetheus' expression hardened as he wrapped his arms around Pandora. She clutched his chest and let him lead the way.

  Chapter 2

  Prometheus awoke the next day to something wet and cool pressed against his feverish forehead. He blinked at the sun, his eyes straining to see. It had been so long since he had experienced this relieving sensation that he was afraid it was a hallucination. Someone opened his mouth and poured a few sips of water into it. It barely quenched the dryness of his tongue, but it tasted like sweet nectar. As a normal man, he would have died several times from the thirst alone.

  "Who's there?" he whispered hoarsely. The pain on his side was only minimal. He must have died last night. The crow was always gentler when he first started pecking his abdomen than he was once he broke through the skin.

  "My name is Pandora," a feminine voice sang.